Typical narratives of Korean history at the turn of the twentieth century list a chain of events with well-established causal relationships. The late 19th century is characterized in terms of a Confucian response to the West, followed by Japanese colonization and the advance of Christian missionaries, which, in turn, inspired a feverish domestic quest for progress and modernity. In this linear and monolithic historiography, the place of Buddhism is vague and obscure. This talk will focus on the emerging signs of changes in its religious and social outlook of the Buddhist society at that time and argue that the last few decades of the 19th century can be thought of as the missing link between traditional Buddhism and its later development after the colonial period onward.

Eun-su Cho is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Seoul National Universty. She has received her Ph.D. in 1997 from U.C. Berkeley. Her research ranges from Indian Abhidharma Buddhism to Korean Buddhist thought and history. She is the founding director of the International Center for Korean Studies at Seoul National University. Her most recent articles include “Wŏnch’ŭk’s Place in the East Asian Buddhist Tradition,” “Creating a Korean Philosophical Tradition: Pak Chong-hong and the Discomfiting Indispensability of European Thought” and “The Uses and Abuses of Wŏnhyo and the ‘T’ong Pulgyo’ Narrative.” She has also translated the Jikji simgyong from Classical Chinese into English. Her edited volume titled Korean Buddhist Nuns and Laywomen: Hidden Histories, Enduring Vitality is forthcoming in 2010 from the SUNY Press.

Post (http://ubcbuddhism.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/upcoming-ubc-kameyama-lecture-series-professor-eun-su-cho/) courtesy of Jessica L. Main, who leads the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair on Buddhism and Contemporary Society. The Chair is the steward of UBC’s Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program. Her research concerns modern Buddhist ethics, social action, and institutional life in East and Southeast Asia. She worked with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), investigating possible contributions of Buddhism to a physician’s ethic.

Phackchok Rinpoche presented a well-known orientation in Buddhist social engagement: that by developing the self, one can develop society. Helping others begins by developing a self endowed with 7 good qualities, including compassion, meditation, intelligence, diligence, generosity, and patience. Those familiar with Buddhist thought found Rinpoche’s lists familiar, as he drew from the 4 divine abidings and 6 perfections for a modern audience.

Phakchok Rinpoche has taken his humor and insight to audiences around the world. He is the head of the Taklung Kagyu lineage and, like many well-known Tibetan leaders today, has kinship ties to many of the 20th century’s most influential Tibetan Buddhist teachers and families. These ties are strengthened by Buddhist rituals of empowerment and ordination—rituals which also provide foundation for an individual’s practice and learning.

In addition to his individual training and his studies of Buddhist philosophy, Phakchok Rinpoche, is involved in his local community (and in communities around the world, such as Cooperstown, Toronto, and Vancouver). He works and lives in Nepal, sustaining a variety of projects in the Kathmandu Valley area—including several monasteries, a nunnery, a clinic, and a monastic welfare program, and boarding school. He also heads a Buddhist NGO that organizes volunteer labor to aid the impoverished in the areas of health, education, vocational training, and in finding homes. He spoke about the relationship of Buddhist philosophy and practice to contemporary society, specifically, to social development.

Jessica L. Main leads the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair on Buddhism and Contemporary Society (UBC Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program). Her research includes modern Buddhist ethics, and social action. She worked with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), investigating possible contributions of Buddhism to a physician’s ethic. Her posts here: http://www.amareway.org/holisticlivingtag/jessica-l-main/